As of this moment, the bulk of the consumer electronics that provide entertainment are still anchored in either the physical, as in using DVDs, or in traditional broadcast methods of cable and TV networks. But a recent study that was conducted by a well-respected research firm revealed that the entertainment industry is about to experience a major shift in how their product is delivered. Wireless trends, which have already impacted other industries, are set to transform this industry as wireless technologies are more broadly implemented.



Researchers and industry observers predict that the improvements in wireless mobile networks and in wireless security will result in a much greater reliance on all kinds of wireless, network based content delivery of every kind. These wireless trends are expected to be one of the catalysts that will enable and popularize the efficient delivery and the redistribution of media content to homes that will be making the most of newer and better generations of consumer electronic hardware devices.

ABI Research is a well-known and highly respected research institute that is carefully following the wireless trends and they are forecasting that the volume of wireless Wi Fi models of electronics will simply "mushroom" in the next from years. In the year 2006, approximately 40 million Wi Fi network enabled devices were shipped out to the marketplace, and that number is expected to climb to more than 250 million units for the year 2011.

From the burgeoning interest in interactive internet gaming, to the rapid development of brand new online distribution channels for the top-level television and movie content, the need for increased connectivity in electronics for the mainstream consumers is growing incredibly fast in response to these wireless trends. Until now, the Wi Fi networking market for the consumer has been primarily made up of gateways, routers and adapters.

It is expected that as the market continues to evolve and embrace digital distribution of all types of media, this trend will continue to grow and will be further fueled by the embedding of Wi Fi wireless hardware in more and more consumer electronic devices.

The wireless trends in the marketplace today and in the near future will be led by the portable gaming consoles that are so popular. The two major forces in gaming, Nintendo and Sony, have equipped their latest and greatest generation of gaming devices with Wi Fi connection abilities, which has allowed for multi-player gaming and interactive gaming over an internet connection. Other evidences of these trends are seen in the technology added to the Zune device, making it Wi Fi enabled.

In addition, more and more digital camera manufacturers, such as Kodak, Nikon and Canon, have all embraced the wireless trends by adding Wi Fi capability to their lines of digital cameras and digital camcorders. Also, the traditionally line-powered devices, such as DVD players and audio receivers, are also expected to be adding Wi Fi network capability to their products in the near future as well.